Notizen zu dieser Person
Biography by Professor Joseph M. Kellogg George Teter was born about 1762. He appears for the first time inthe Personal Tax lists for Rockingham County, in 1784, next to hisfather Paul Teter. He is stated to have 1 white tithable, 5 horsesand 7 cattle. He also appears on the so-called Census of Heads offamilies for 1784, as George Teter Jr., with 5 "white souls" in hisfamily. (The George "Feter" on that list, called Senior, is GeorgeTeter, the uncle of this George). About this time, in 1784-85, he left the home district and went acrossthe mountain and made a home for himself on the Dry Fork of the CheatRiver. (This is just beyond the great divide of the Alleghenymountain behind the Teter location in Pendleton County A famousIndian pathway, the Shawnee-Seneca Trail went that way. It was thechief highway between the South branch of the Potomac and the TygartsRiver valley. It is said that hundreds of pack horses laden withsalt, iron, and merchandise traveled it yearly, as well as greatdroves of cattle. It was also very important in the Civil War. Thiswhole country was, and is of exceeding difficulty for the traveler,and this made this feasible path of great importance. It was notuntil 1826 that wagons, however, crossed the mountains from the Southbranch to Randolph County. I traveled up this old highway in thesummer of 1923, in a Ford car, and it was no pleasure jaunt. One wentup the valley of Seneca Creek getting narrower all the time, thenboldly over the mountain, crossing the divide on the famous RoaringPlains, then down rapidly again but through much more open country tothe Dry Fork. The distance is not really great and it must have beena comparatively easy trip in the old days on horseback. Now - 1940 -a fine modern highway follows this same route.) On October 15, 1784, there were surveyed for George Harness, asassignee at third of fourth hand from an original Andrew Woodrow, 190acres, on the waters of the Dry Fork of the Cheat river, "includingGeorge Teters improvement." George Harness himself was the surveyorand George Teter and Jacob Shook were the chain bearers. The land wasthen assigned to George Teter. (From Harrison County Survey book #1,page 544). George Teter was granted a patent for this 190 acres onDecember 19, 1786. (Virginia Land book #7, page 424). Survey Plot of this tract. [omitted] This region soon was included in Randolph County when that county wasformed, and on the Land entry book 2, of Randolph County, page 28, itappears that on August 18, 1788, George Teter entered 100 acres (aspart of Treasury warrant No. 15211 issued to Josiah Watson and MosesTandy, dated March 6, 1782) on the waters of the Dry Fork of Cheat toinclude a survey of 93 acres issued by issued by George Harness,beginning at 2 spruce-pine trees and running S 60 - W 50, etc. Hepatented this tract (as 93 acres) on June 9, 1791 (Virginia Land bookNo. 23, page 594). On November 28, 1791, William Wilson, acting for George Teter, entered100 acres between the Rich mountain and the Laurel Fork, oppositeThomas Summerfields. (Randolph Entry book 2, page 77). This tractperhaps should be assigned to George Teter Sr. of Pendleton County,rather than to this George Teter, son of Paul. As stated above this George Teter appeared on the Personal Tax listfor Rockingham County in 1784, but after removal to the Dry Fork, heappears on the list for Harrison County (in which this district wasthen) for 1785 and 1786, and then in Randolph County (which was formedat that time and included this same district) for 1787 andcontinuously for each year up to and including 1794. Then his namedisappears completely. Evidently he must have died or removed to someother locality about this time. (There seems to be no record of hisdisposing of his land however by deed or otherwise). No further knowledge about this George Teter or his family is atpresent available.
Roger
Engelken
